Click photo to enlarge
Sam Spence and Dewy starred at the Waimate rodeo. Photo by
Sally Rae.
Sam Spence and pint-sized pony Dewy threatened to steal
the show at the Waimate rodeo on Saturday.
Sam (8), a pupil at Waiwera South School in South Otago, and
Dewy, were first to run in the junior barrel race.
Eighteen-year-old Dewy - who Sam said could be very naughty -
kicked out quite a few times on his way around the barrels,
but his determined young rider was unfazed.
Sam, who has been riding since she was 2, is in her first
season of barrel racing.
She competed at Millers Flat on Friday, Omarama yesterday and
will also head to Wanaka and Te Anau.
Horses are a family affair for the Spences.
Sam's parents, Gus and Julie, met on the hunt field, while
Dewy belongs to Sam's brother Ben (6) who was entered in the
calf ride.
Mr Spence competes in the rope and tie, while his brother
Jock Spence, a bull rider from Gisborne, has been doing the
North Island rodeo circuit but is heading south for the
Wanaka rodeo.
Sam is also a keen eventer, riding her pony Billy, but said
barrel racing was her favourite discipline because it
involved speed.
The young cowgirl was disappointed with her attempt at
Waimate, saying she was "way slower" than at Millers Flat.
Fine weather saw a large crowd attend the rodeo at the
Waimate A and P showgrounds, and the bucking broncs and bulls
did not disappoint.
